Vincent o



v. G. APPLE. SHAFT coun'm.

APPLICATEON HLED OCT. 2|. 1913.

1,3 12,296. PajientedAug. 5, 1919.

3l) axial VINCENT G. APPLE, F DAYTON, DHIO.

, enero-courtiers.

lpeelheetlon of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1919.

Appunto mea onmirn, ma. serial no. temono.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VlNonN'r G. Aprile, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery .and 6 State of hio, have invented Certain new? and useful- ,Iniprover'nents in Shaft-Coin plings, ofwhich the following isn speciii cation. y

My inv ion relates to improvements in shaft con had consists 1n `eertein new and. neef im rovelnents in construction, as hereinafter filll,4 .set forth and pointed out in the e claims.

.The o eot ofgnly invention is to provide 16 a shaft coupling, which is rotatably yielding, to an extent, until there is a. iven relative rotary displacement of the s mftJnemb'ers, after which the connections ybetween the driving'andV driven shaft members is of 20 a positive nature, therebyV to permit initial rotationfof the' driving member, for a part of u revolntion, vwith e gradually increasing resstanee to the torque effort until the -pre determined resistance is interposed by the spring, after which the shafts are automaticallyinsgoclated 4in gositivedriving; relation.

Another obgect o my invention is to rovide a shaft coupling, as specified, w lich l will automatically compensate for` sli ht, disp cement of the' shaft mem rs fwithout introducing objectionable features of opefetio.

My invention is especially desirable in 4coupling electrici motors to a load to be 36. driven, to permit initial movement of the armature, so tliatit may `pass through one ofV its phases of o ration before, it Vpositively takes on the ond to be driven by it.

An illlistrative example of its use is where an electric motor is employed forr starting a gas ine. When the armature is irat ener i itis Y, rmitted to move a, given circurn erential lgitztnce before it 'takes on-its load, therebyf `rmtting it to develop a 415` given counter-.e ectromotive force, at a rel atively high speed,betore the load is taken on by the a etere, thus increasing the elli,- ciency4 ofthe Mmathre endl its power factor' `It the time 'of starting its load. 50 .1' Other and further objects of my invention u4 will become readily apparent, to `those skilled in the art, from a consideration yof the following description when taken inl con'lunctionwith the drawings, wherein :-V gure 1 is a. central 'sectionnf the colfplihg and'two shafts conneeted thereby.

Fig. 2 is a similar View at right anglesto Vthe section shown in Fin'. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section tnlien on line 3-3 of Fi 2. n

llig; 4; isla section taken on line 4-4 of gig. is a.

1employed to indicate similar erspectve view of onel'of the springs by w leh the shafts are yieldingly- 10 coiled in the same direction and having their ends c'oupled to the respective shafts.

A singile spring will'answer the 'urpoee but a dou le sprmg is more desire le beeoe then the ends or terminalslll and 12, 11' and 12being fashionedinto. eyes, having their axes at right angles'to each other, may he coupled at four equal circumferential ints around the two shafts. The spring 9, or instane, is coupled to the far end of the in 13, as shownv 1n Fig. 2', while its other` Elen -is connected to the pin 14 at right angles to the'pin 13. In the same respeet the spring 10 is connected to the other endV of the `pin 13 and tothe opposite end of the pin 14. "A

A sleeve, or honein 15, overli-es the two sprin and is connec at one end rigidly, to t e pin 14 and is therefore positively driven "width the shaft 7. In' its forward end, `it is slotted onpppos'ite sides, as at 16 and 17, und` through this lslot the pin 18 passes free! into atother housing or pulley 18, in whie it is rigidly connected. The pin'13 also fpasses through the inner liub 19 of the heus vmg or pulley- 18 to'ri diy connect it to shaft' gl Now it is manifest, when the eonvolutions of the springs 9 and 10 are in close contact y vwith each other, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, that power equivalent to a torque alfort less .than` that exerted by the resistance of the yspnnge, may be transmitted from thev shaft 6 to the shaft 7. 'Justohoutthe time that the springs are brought into -eondition with their eonvolutlons in contant, the 4pin 18, by the lagging rotative `die linieln'ent` of the shaft 6, with 'regard to t e' shaft 7; makes contact with the sleeve at the limit of the slots 16 and 17.` By'this means the strain is taken from the sprih'tl and is positively transmitted through the pin 13the sleeve 1.5 and the pin 14. In a state of rest, the springs will bring the pins 13 and Minto position where their axes are at substantial right angles to cach other with their convolutions slightly separated, and therefore the driving shaft 6, in the event that this is the driving shaft, may be moved with relation to shaft 7, at least 10 or 12 degrees before the pin 13 is brought into actual contact with the enveloping sleeve 15. Should either or both sprin s become broken, power could' from one shaft to the other be transmitte by the sleeve and pin connection.

Fromthe foregoin description, taken in conjunction with the ravvings, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that con-` sderahle axial displacement of the two shafts will be compensated for by the resiliency of the spring connection, or coupling, which will -not materially aii'ect the operation of the device Vintranslation of power from one shaft to the other.

The drawings show that the housing 18 is in the :form of a pulley and it may be utilized for this purpose and furthermore the drawi show that the sleeve-15 is tapered. Illilrss is done for conforming to the di'erent sizes of the shafts 6 and 7. The apparatus would work equally as well if the sleeve and 'the Springs were of Vuniform di-fpositively to the respective coaxially arameter.

While. I have herein shown a single embodiment of my invention, for the purpose of clear disclosure, it will be manifest, to those skilled in the art, that changes may be made in the general arrangement and configuration of the parte within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having desenibed my invention, what I claim is A 1. A shaft coupling for two coaxially ar- 'tlve shafts; a'housing ipclosmg the.' said spring connected to one said shaft at one of its ends and havini,r an elongatedl circumferentially extending slot in its other end and a pin from the second named shaft exc tending through said slot.

3. A shaft coupiing for two coaxially are ranged shaft-s comprising zr helicall'y Wound spring connected at its ends to the respectlve shafts; a` sleeve overlying the said spring having a circumferentilly extendinr s ot in one end; a pin passing through o1. said shaft, one end of the spring ahd the miattached end of the sleeve -and another pin passing through the other shaft, the othex` end of the spring and the'slot in the sleeve.

4. A shaft coupling comprising two helically wound p arallel springs. each-spring having its ternnnals at right' ang leslto each lother for connectionlto two' shaft'v to be coupled together; means to eonnectsueh ranged s afts, and means positively connected to one shaft and having 'lost motion connec-tion to the other shaft whereby topositively connect both shafts together irrespective of the'springs when the said `shafts have been rotativeiy displaced with respect to each other to a redetermined extent.

In testimony whereof I hereunto subscribe my name. i

VINCENT G. APPLE.; 

